Friday, November 4, 2005

Chapter Fifty-Five, in which recent Acquisitions are listed

Your Bibliothecary loves books, and especially books about books. Reading about every facet of a book, from its creation to its construction, from its history to its future, serves to increase our appreciation of books themselves, as objects, as communication tools, and as entertainment. Today, in the great tradition of riffing off another's blog (as well as a healthy dose of oneupsmanship), we are pleased to present our most recent book acquisitions. Eventually some will be discussed, some will be given away, and some will be sold (if you name the right price), so stay tuned.

Here, then, without further ado:

Fowler's Modern English UsageNancy Pearl--Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and ReasonJack Matthews--Booking in the HeartlandVicente Blasco Ibanez--A Novelist's Tour of the WorldMortimer J. Adler--How to Read a Book: The Art of Getting a Liberal EducationBonnie Friedman--Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction, and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's LifeGail Sher--One Continuous Mistake: Four Noble Truths for WritersM.H. Abrams--A Glossary of Literary TermsJudy Reeves--A Writer's Book of Days: A Spirited Companion and Lively Muse for the Writing LifeJulia Cameron--The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

So we will begin this week's book giveaway by asking a question, and the avid reader who can answer correctly will win one of the books listed above, but which one will be a surprise.

Who is the following quote attributed to?

I have sometimes dreamt ... that when the Day of Judgment dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive their rewards--their crowns, their laurels, their names carved indelibly upon imperishable marble--the Almighty will turn to Peter and will say, not without a certain envy when He sees us coming with our books under our arms, "Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading."

Tiebreaker goes to the one who can also name the books in which that quote can be found. Post your answers as a comment and bon chance.

What areNecessary Acts of Devotion?

Christopher Morley was a lover of all things literary, and he gave special reverence to bookstores. He was a great advocate for independent booksellers as public servants. The shops they ran, he said, afforded one pastimes as well as the chance to "discover the bread and meat of life." In an essay called "On Visiting Bookshops," Morley wondered why people only go into a bookshop when they need a particular book. "Do they never drop in for a little innocent carouse and refreshment?" he asks. It would be good to remember that, though you may not be in need of any books at the moment, there may be a book in need of you. And the right book can change one's world:

The sky was sluiced with a clearer blue, air and sunlight blended for a keener intake of the lungs, faces seen along the street moved us with a livelier shock of interest and surprise.

Morley closes his essay with one of the most beautiful and moving passages in literature, one of the very "rare and sensational delights" which he is describing, those

...that set the mind moving on lovely journeys of its own, and mark off visits to a bookshop not as casual errands of reason, but as necessary acts of devotion. We visit bookshops not so often to buy any one special book, but rather to discover, in the happier and more expressive words of others, our own encumbered souls.

About Me

Quillhill was born in Angstadt in 1751 in a castle he built with his own two hands and 135 Mordvin slaves. He is founder of the ancient Society of the Drivers of the Quill and the Slaves of Golconda. Originally a playwright for marionette stage, he retired in shame and horror following a mass puppecide. He is a novelist and cunning linguist who has published two books, the first prompting writer Stephen King to say, "I wouldn't line my birdcage with this dreck!" In 1996 he became Professor of Microcalifragilistics at the University of Angstadt, and was later appointed Executive Director of Geschafts aus Herzensangelegenheit. After several clicks on the internet, he has attained the status of Apostolic Scribe. His only regret is that he was never able to become a banker. He enjoys pillows and making fun of pumpkins. He is seeking a tempting red-headed patroness, or a patronising red-headed temptress. Today he is pack leader to five calm submissive followers.